Italian start-up Air Industria has launched daily flights from Rimini to Naples, Catania and Palermo, using an ATR 42-300. Daily services from Rome to Taranto and Treviso will begin later this year. Mexicana Airlines will begin five weekly flights between Mexico City and Vancouver on 14 December, using an Airbus A319. British Airways franchise Maersk Air UK has started flights between Birmingham and Athens three times weekly. Grupo TACA will begin three weekly flights between Chicago O'Hare and Guatemala City, with continuing service to San Jose, Costa Rica, in November. Services will increase to four flights a week between 9 December and 15 January. BMI Regional is launching services between Manchester and Toulouse at the end of October using a 37-seat Embraer ERJ-135. Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) will begin a twice daily non-stop service between Brussels and Helsinki on 27 October. The flights will be operated by SAS-owned Air Botnia using Avro RJ85s. Air Transat has been cleared to serve five additional European countries under Ottawa's relaxed policy designed to give Canada's smaller airlines more opportunity to compete with Air Canada on international routes. The airline has been designated to serve Belgium, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands and Poland. Continental Airlines will launch daily flights between New York Newark and Geneva on 6 March using a Boeing 767-200 ER. Loco Flights will start weekly charter services next May from Glasgow Prestwick to the Canary Islands of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote and Tenerife. Spanair has linked with French regional carrier Air Littoral to codeshare on European fights, which will enable Spanair passengers to fly from Air Littoral's hub in Nice to destinations within France and Italy. Air Littoral customers will be able to fly from Spanair hubs in Madrid and Barcelona to 14 destinations in Spain and the Balearic Islands.
Source: Flight International
